从拉丁语到古汉语——汉译《几何原本》卷一“界说”的翻译分析

From Latin to Chinese:Analysis on Chinese Translation of Definitions in the First Volume of Jihe Yuanben

《几何原本》是第一部汉译西方数学名著。一般认为,古代汉语和拉丁语在语法结构、文体形式、词语语义等方面有着巨大差异。因此,一部西方科学巨著如何跨越语言屏障得以翻译?又如何在异质文化中得以传播?要回答这些问题,首要之事需要探考利玛窦、徐光启怎样把克拉维乌斯拉丁语版的《欧几里得原本十五卷》(Euclidis Elementorum Libri ⅩⅤ)翻译成古汉语的《几何原本》。本文以汉译《几何原本》第一卷"界说"(定义)为例,从术语勘定、拉汉比照、语句解构、定义分析等方面,对36条"界说"进行全面释读。研究表明,无论是语义还是文体,汉译《几何原本》的"界说"基本上做到了用切近而自然的对等语再现了原文信息。利玛窦和徐光启用古汉语重构了古典西方数学的逻辑推理和公理化体系,在中西文化交流史上具有重要的里程碑意义。

Jihe Yuanben is the first Chinese translation of western famous mathematical work. It is generally recognized that due to the huge differences in grammatical structure, style, words and semantics between Chinese and Latin, and the translation should have been almost an ＇impossible mission＇ for Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi. Therefore, how to translate a Westem scientific masterwork transcending the language barrier？ And how to further transmit in an alien culture？ To answer these questions, the first thing is to reveal how Ricci and Xu translated Clavius＇ Latin Euclidis Elementorum Libri XV into Chinese Jibe Yuanben. This paper has taken 36 definitionsfrom Volume I of Jihe Yuanben as an example, and explains in aspects of the terminology, meaning contrast of Latin and Chinese, statement deconstruction and the definition analysis. Studies have shown that the great efforts made by Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi have succeeded in achieving in the receptor language, the closest natural equivalent of source language message, in terms of meaning and style. By means of classical Chinese, Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi have reconstructed the reductive and axiomatic system. Jihe Yuanben takes a remarkable meaning in cultural communication between China and the West.